THE The Chicago Bulls host the LA Clippers THURSDAY. THE Clippers won 112-102 against the Bulls on Saturday. James Harden’s triple-double helped Los Angeles come back from a 14-point deficit to win the contest.
Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George’s combined 21-point second halves proved crucial. The Clippers hope to get off to a better start in Thursday’s game. Chicago missed the opportunity once, but it’s unlikely they’ll let that happen with home-court advantage.
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LA Clippers vs Chicago Bulls preview, betting tips, odds and predictions
Local television operators Bally Sports SoCal and NBC Sports Chicago will cover the Clippers vs. Chicago game. Bulls game. NBA League Pass will provide an online stream for this contest outside of local regions. Tipoff is at 8:00 p.m. ET at the United Center.
Money line: Clippers -270, Bulls +220
Spread: Clippers -6.5 (-110), Bulls +6.5 (-110)
Total (including): Clippers u215.5 (-108), Bulls u215.5 (-110)
Editor’s note: Odds may change as the game approaches. The odds listed were consistent with information available at the time of writing.
LA Clippers vs. Chicago Bulls: Preview
The Clippers’ performance played out night and day before and after the All-Star break. They have since gone 5-6 with an offensive efficiency of 114.4 and a defensive efficiency of 116.6. LA is dealing with injuries to key players like Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.
Westbrook is out, while Leonard and Harden are questionable. The Clippers have generally struggled to close out games. They’ve blown double-digit fourth-quarter leads in three of their six losses since the All-Star break, twice with Leonard in the lineup.
The Clippers have given up 17.4 points on turnovers in their last 11 games, the seventh-worst mark in the league.
In contrast, the Bulls are 6-5 in the same span. Their offense has steadily improved, but defense remains a concern. Chicago is 26th in defense with a 117.2 performance since the All-Star break. The Bulls are excellent at forcing turnovers, however.
This could help them against the Clippers on Thursday. Their opponents averaged 14.0 turnovers, which was the 11th best mark in the NBA. The Bulls must take advantage of this to take the advantage against Los Angeles. This helped them take an 11-point advantage in the first game on Saturday.
The Bulls could, however, be without one of their best offensive players, Coby White. The other absentees will be Zach LaVine, Lonzo Ball and Patrick Williams, essential on Chicago’s injured list.
LA Clippers vs. Chicago Bulls: starting lineups, substitutions and rotations
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers starting lineup could be as follows:
PG – James Harden, SG – Terance Mann, SF – Paul Georges, PF – Kawhi Leonard, VS – Ivica Zubac
Norman Powell, Bones Hyland, Amir Coffey and Daniel Theis could play a lot off the bench. Powell and Hyland will cover Harden and Mann in the backcourt, while Theis and Coffey will rotate with the front line. Mason Plumlee and PJ Tucker could see increased minutes if Kawhi were to sit out the game.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls starting lineup could be as follows:
PG – Ayo Dosunmu, SG – Alex Caruso, SF – Torrey Craig, PF – DeMar DeRozan, VS – Nikola Vucevic
The Bulls could be without Coby White, who left Wednesday’s game against the Pacers due to injury. Torrey Craig could replace him. Jevon Carter could return to the rotation if White is out.
The Bulls lack depth with several out injured, so they are relying heavily on their available starters. The sixth man in this matchup could be Andre Drummond, with Julian Phillips and Onuralp Bitim likely seeing an increase in minutes as well.
LA Clippers vs. Chicago Bulls: Betting Tips
Kawhi Leonard is favored to score under 24.5 points. He is averaging 23.7 per game this season and 22.0 points in his last nine games. However, Leonard left the final game with an injury after scoring only six points, lowering his averages.
DeMar DeRozan is favored to score under 25.5 points. He had 46 in an overtime game Wednesday while averaging 23.4 points per game this season.
LA Clippers vs. Chicago Bulls Prediction
Bettors favored the LA Clippers to win this game with a money line of -270 to +220. LA was able to pull out a win, despite trailing by double digits in the team’s last meeting. The Chicago Bulls’ injuries could haunt them again against a star-studded lineup.
This could be a close contest, and the Bulls could even be in control. However, the Clippers will likely change momentum in the second half, especially with fresher legs. Chicago is coming off an overtime victory against the Pacers, playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Clippers should prevent the Bulls from covering their 4.5 point gap.
